Anti-Environmental Riders back-door attempt to silence the public

[Guest guest]

Boxer Calls On House-Senate Negotiators To Drop Anti-Environmental

Riders From Giant Spending Bill Calls " devastating " provisions " a

dangerous back-door attempt to silence the public "

http://boxer.senate.gov/newsroom/200302/20030212_env.html

 

February 11, 2003

Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) today called on a

House-Senate conference committee to refrain from adding

anti-environmental riders to the FY 2003 Omnibus Appropriations Bill.

These last-minute provisions, which were not in the House or Senate

bills, would greatly expand logging on public lands.

 

In a letter to the House and Senate conferees, Boxer urged them not to

" turn your back on a great American value – protecting our national

forests. "

 

One rider would authorize an unlimited number of private logging

projects on federal lands while removing oversight by the Forest

Service and Bureau of Land Management (BLM). " In California alone, "

Boxer wrote, " this rider could allow for the logging of ten million

acres of our more than twenty million acres of national forests,

including proposed wilderness areas, along with logging in BLM lands. "

 

Other riders would vastly expand logging in the nation's two largest

national forests – Tongass and Chugach in Alaska – while removing

public and judicial review of logging projects.

 

" This is a dangerous back-door attempt to silence the public, states

and localities and to stop our citizens from going to court to protest

these destructive riders, " Boxer said. " This is wrong. Judicial and

public oversight are an intrinsic part of the process of environmental

decision-making. "

 

Boxer vowed to take the fight to the Senate floor if necessary. " If

these devastating riders are added to the FY 2003 Omnibus

Appropriations Bill, " she told the conferees, " I intend to discuss them

at great length on the floor of the Senate. I urge you not to add these

riders to the bill. "

 

February 12, 2003

 

Dear Conferee:

 

My understanding is that you are considering adding riders to the FY

2003 Omnibus Appropriations Bill that would turn your back on a great

American tradition - protecting our national forests. These are riders

that were not in the House or Senate bills.

 

It is my understanding that one rider would authorize an unlimited

number of forest " stewardship " projects. Under this proposal, the

Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) would no longer be

required to mark which trees are logged and which are left standing.

Instead, timber companies will design the projects and decide which

trees to cut down. This rider also places no limits on the type,

location, or size of logging projects.

 

In California alone, this rider could allow for the logging of ten

million acres of our more than twenty million acres of national

forests, including proposed wilderness areas, along with logging in BLM

lands. Nationwide, it could allow for the logging of tens of millions

more acres. The possibilities are alarming. This rider could signal the

beginning of the end of California forests.

 

And the efforts to vastly expand logging in our national forests do

not end there. I understand that Alaska's Tongass and Chugach National

Forests are also under attack by three riders that would: preclude

application of the landmark Roadless Area Conservation Rule to Alaska's

national forests - the Tongass and the Chugach - the two largest

national forests in the country; mandate implementation of the 1997

Tongass Land Management Plan, shielding it from ongoing judicial review

and allowing excessive logging at great risk to wildlife and clean

water; and attempt to allow the timber industry to use the courts to

force the Forest Service to offer more timber sales, regardless of

their impacts on the forests and its resources.

 

These riders are a dangerous back-door attempt to silence the public,

states and localities, and to stop judicial review. This is wrong.

Judicial and public oversight are an intrinsic part of the process of

environmental decision-making.

 

If these devastating riders are added to the FY 2003 Omnibus

Appropriations Bill, I intend to discuss them at great length on the

floor of the Senate. I urge you not to add these riders to the bill.

 

Sincerely,

 

U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer

http://boxer.senate.gov

 

Click here to read Senator Boxer's letter.

http://boxer.senate.gov/newsroom/200302/20030212_env_ltr.html

 

ONRC - Alerts

Bush and the Timber Industry Team Up to Gut the Northwest Forest Plan.

....

http://www.onrc.org/alerts/

http://www.onrc.org/alerts/130.surveymanage.html

 

Roadless Forests. ONRC Press Release 09/24/02 Bush Administration in

Secret Negotiations with Timber Industry. ONRC Press Release ...

http://www.onrc.org/press/

 

The Bush Administration's Environmental Record Exposed - Plus; Old

Growth update, Klamath Basin update, Wilderness adopter reports, Oregon

Wild update.

http://www.onrc.org/wild_oregon/wo02/wospring02p.html

 

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> Boxer Calls On House-Senate Negotiators To Drop Anti-Environmental